Field of the Invention
This invention relates to modular barrier systems. For example: a modular system to construct a wall that defines a playing field, or to create an ice hockey rink.
Description of Related Art
Systems for creating outdoor ice skating, or ice hockey, rinks are known. For example a commercially available system, called “NiceRink”, enables a backyard ice rink having a peripheral wall constructed from boards and support brackets, with a waterproof liner placed over the enclosed area and folded upwards and then over the peripheral wall. The liner holds water which is allowed to freeze to form a skating surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,227 describes “a portable ice skating rink including elongate curb structural members and a liner of flat flexible sheet material. The liner is economically made of sheet plastic for example with a bottom sheet and elongate sleeves around the periphery of the bottom sheet. The curb members, such as 4×4 lumber pieces, are inserted into an open end of each sleeve to form a water retaining structure. The sheet material and seams have resistance to water permeation sufficient to retain a shallow pool of water covering the bottom sheet during freezing in outdoor conditions to form an ice skating surface.”
U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,442 describes “an enclosure which has a plurality of utilities such as a portable ice skating rink, a wading pool, a volleyball area, and a garden enclosure. The enclosure has a pair of opposed sidewalls and a pair of opposed end walls. Each of the sidewalls is defined by at least one elongated sidewall member and each of the end walls is defined by at least one elongated end wall member. A plurality of corner members define an enclosed area with the end walls and the sidewalls. The enclosure further has at least one sheet member positioned over the sidewalls, the end walls, and the corner members. The enclosure further has cover members which fit over the elongated sidewall members, the end wall members, and the corner members to hold and protect the at least one sheet member.”
U.S. Pat. No. 6,957,546 describes a “portable ice skating rink [which] comprises, in a kit, a plastic sheeting, a protective band for the sheeting, and a number of rigid tubular members, flexible connectors and corrugated clips. To assemble the kit, the tubular members are connected to each other in a closed loop using the flexible connectors inserted in facing ends thereof and with corners of the loop being formed by curving some flexible connectors. The sheeting is then laid over the ground of the area enclosed by the loop while extending outwardly over and past the loop. The protective band is laid over the sheeting opposite the loop and the clips are installed thereat to secure the sheeting to the so formed frame with the clips running continuously all along the frame such as to protect the sheeting. Portions of the frame can be raised to level it and the sheeting can then be pulled.”
Modular barrier systems for other applications are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,641 describes a “portable crowd control barrier for use in sporting or entertainment events [which has] lightweight body members formed of a resiliently deformable material and each defining an interior chamber and having slots formed in end walls thereof to receive wooden studs such that the introduction of liquid into the interior chambers deforms the body members, clamping the walls of the slots against the studs and locking the system in place.”
U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,470 describes a “portable modular outdoor playing arena having a plurality of modular floor panels and a plurality of generally vertically oriented modular side panels. The floor panels have a generally smooth flat upper surface and side surfaces that depend therefrom at approximate right angles. The floor panels are adjoined in a closed polygonal configuration to create a playing surface. The side panels surround and abut the floor panels and exert a compressive force on the floor panels to prevent lateral separation of adjacent floor panels. A seal forms a fluid tight connection between adjacent floor panels and at the juncture of the floor panels and the side panels. Each of the floor panels include adjustable legs to support the floor panels on the ground or on a sub-surface. The legs are vertically adjustable to allow for the levelling of the floor panels so that adjacent floor panels can be individually levelled and supported to provide a level playing surface.”
U.S. Pat. No. 7,849,653 describes an “anchoring panel for a sport wall system with a front side facing an interior of the sport wall system, a back side, a flange extending from and rigidly fixed to the back side, a top side, a bottom side, and a first and second end wall is provided. Each of the first and second end walls include interlocking elements for interlocking with a first or second end of another panel in the sport wall system, the interlocking elements comprising at least a male knob extending towards the bottom side of the anchoring panel and configured to be insertable into a panel recess of the another panel in the sport wall system.”